Change of Use

The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 (as amended) puts uses of land and buildings into various categories.   A ‘Use Class’ is a grouping together of similar land uses. For example, shops are grouped as class A1, restaurants and cafés as A3, hotels as C1.

View a list of Use Classes here

Changes of use not requiring planning permission

In many cases involving similar types of use, a change of use of a building or land does not need planning permission. Planning permission is not needed when both the present and proposed uses fall within the same ‘class’, or if the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order says that a change of class is permitted to another specified class.

For example, a greengrocer’s shop could be changed to a shoe shop without permission as these uses fall within the same ‘class’, and a restaurant could be changed to a shop or a estate agency as the Use Class Order allows this type of change to occur without requiring planning permission. 

However, many changes of use do require planning permission. You can use this table to work out whether a proposed change of use requires permission.

Most external building work associated with a change of use is likely to require planning permission.

Before you negotiate a lease or buy a property for your business, check whether you need to obtain planning permission for your intended use, and, if so, your chances of getting it.

Related links:
Use class order

Is the proposed change of use permitted?